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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · rash · shower · mouse · season · hide · can · chair

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — in sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. can — a tin
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — rain
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com